Key Points

• Emergency Department Activity:

  • The monthly number of emergency department visits for suicidal ideation and the proportion of activity associated with it increased starting in 2020 across all age groups and genders.

  • The monthly number of emergency department visits for attempted suicide in 2021 was higher than in 2020, but lower than the average for the 2017–2019 period. The average monthly share of activity in 2021 was lower than in 2020 and 2017–2019.

  • Emergency department activity due to suicide attempts increased significantly among those aged 11–24, decreased among those aged 25–64, and remained stable among those over 65 during the 2020–2021 period compared to the 2017–2019 period.

• Hospitalizations for suicide attempts:

  • In 2021, the regional standardized hospitalization rate for suicide attempts was among the highest in France at 202.0 per 100,000 residents aged 10 and older. This rate was lower than in 2010 and had returned to its pre-pandemic level in 2021 following a decline in 2020.

  • Hospitalizations for suicide attempts affected women more than men, with the proportion of women among those hospitalized for suicide attempts increasing in 2021 compared to 2017–2019. Among women, the 10–19 age group was the most affected, whereas among men, it was the 30–39 age group. In 2020 and 2021, the proportion of young people aged 10–24 increased, while that of those aged 25–64 decreased and that of seniors aged 65 and older remained stable.

  • The most common method of suicide attempt was drug overdose, followed by poisoning with other substances (i.e., non-medicinal). In Brittany, suicide attempts involving poisoning with other substances were more frequent than in mainland France for both genders.

  • The case-fatality rate following hospitalization for suicide attempts in Brittany was comparable to that observed in mainland France during 2017–2019.

  • At the departmental level, three departments had rates higher than that of mainland France: Morbihan, Finistère, and Côtes d’Armor. The department of Ille-et-Vilaine, meanwhile, had a hospitalization rate for suicide attempts lower than the mainland average.

• Suicide mortality:

  • In 2017, the age-standardized suicide mortality rate was 21.8 per 100,000 residents aged 10 and older and was the highest in France. This rate was lower than in 2010, with the decrease observed primarily among men. For both sexes, the rates were higher than those observed in metropolitan France for all available years.

  • Among men, the proportion of suicides in all-cause mortality was higher compared to the national average, whereas it was similar among women. Disparities were observed by age and sex. The proportion of suicides in mortality was higher in the youngest age groups (10–39 years).

  • Among men, the age distribution of suicide deaths showed a predominance in the 40–59 age group. Among women, it was the 50–69 age group. Compared to mainland France, Brittany stood out for having a lower proportion of suicides among those over 80 years of age for both sexes.

  • The most common method of suicide recorded was hanging. Unlike in mainland France (where the order is reversed), the second most common method of suicide in Brittany was drug overdose, and the third was the use of a firearm.

  • The departments of Brittany rank in the top third of metropolitan departments in terms of suicide mortality rates.